Heavy-lift cargo drones are now being used at offshore wind farm in world first

In a world first, Danish wind energy giant Ørsted is deploying heavy-lift cargo drones to transport cargo at the 752MW Borssele wind project in the North Sea.

Following successful trials at the Hornsea 1 Offshore Wind Farm in the UK in 2023, the heavy-lift cargo drones (HLCD) are being used to transport cargo from a nearby vessel to all 94 wind turbines as Ørsted updates critical evacuation and safety equipment.

With a wingspan of 2.6-metres and capable of transporting cargo of up to 100kg in weight, the use of the drones is being billed as a “pioneering move” and “significant leap forward in operational efficiency and safety in the offshore wind industry.”

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Updating equipment at an offshore wind farm would normally require a vessel to sail from one turbine to another, use a crane to lift each box containing the equipment onto the transition piece, after which the box would be lifted with the nacelle’s crane to reach the nacelle, and then moved to the top of the turbine.

Using heavy-lift cargo drones negates much of the hassle, as the drone is capable of flying back and forth from an offshore supply vessel directly to the top of the nacelle – a flight which takes around 4 minutes.

In comparison, sailing from turbine to turbine and lifting the material via crane takes around six hours per turbine. Ørsted claims that, by using heavy-lift cargo drones, it has been able to complete this operation 10- to 15 times faster than normally.

Use of the drones not only reduces the time necessary to complete the operation, but also reduces costs as well as increases operational safety and efficiency.

The drones also mean less work distance, as wind turbines do not have to be shut down when cargo is delivered, and in addition to making the work safer for personnel, the drones help to minimise travel distance by ships, reducing carbon emissions in the process.

“Ørsted has led offshore wind’s journey from a niche technology to a cost-competitive and large-scale source of renewable power,” said Rasmus Errboe, chief commercial officer and deputy-CEO at Ørsted.

“We’ve done this through some big leaps by for example pioneering new turbine models, but also by continuously moving a lot of new and innovative ideas from the drawing board to real life application.

“The drones at Borssele 1&2 are a great example of this, as they will improve safety, bring down carbon emissions, and reduce the cost of operating offshore wind farms, which all further improve the commercial fundamentals of offshore wind for investors, governments, and corporations.”